You Only Need This One Thing to Make Meal Prep a Breeze!

The one reason that people avoid meal prep is that they think it will take too much time. With one simple device, you can solve all of your meal prep problems in 5-8 hours. Still think that is too long? Well, that is the average time it takes to cook a meal in a crock pot. That’s right, you put in the ingredients, let them stew while you are working out, cleaning, watching TV—anything but cooking—and then it’s done. Crock pot cooking can help put time back in your day and take the guesswork out of delicious recipes.

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Here are the 3 most common misconceptions about using a crock pot to prepare meals and why these things aren’t true:

1. Crock pots take all the flavor out of the meat

Some of the most delicious meals I’ve ever had were made in a crock pot: Pulled pork, salsa chicken and jambalaya, to name a few. And if you are a vegetarian, or you are cooking for one, you can make delicious soups and desserts in your crock pot, too! (My favorite is diced apples with a little bit of cinnamon and brown sugar. Let it cook for a few hours then serve over frozen yogurt!)

2. I get bored if I eat the same thing every day

In the case of the aforementioned salsa chicken, (3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts with a can of salsa and any veggies you like) there are endless opportunities. One day you can serve the chicken over rice, the next it can be used to fill a burrito, and then you could try it on a sandwich. Also, there is a reason Steve Jobs always wore the same outfit and why Mark Zuckerberg always wears his classic gray hoodie: They made that decision once and were able to put their brain power towards changing the world. Get used to eating multiple meals from one recipe and use your excess energy to tackle your goals!

3. I live alone, I just don’t need that much food

The great thing about crock pots is that, like most appliances, they come in a variety of sizes. If you find that you can’t finish the food made by a large sized crock-pot before it goes bad, look into a single-serving crock pot. You’ll soon realize that the many benefits of cooking with a crock pot. The hours you once spent on meal prep can now be used for more productive tasks while your meal is cooking. After you clean up, you are done and you can have dinners and lunches taken care of for the week. (Note: this also saves you money because you won’t be tempted to eat take-out for lunch!) Now that you don’t have any excuses to try crock pot cooking, here are some recipes sure to keep you well fed. You can impress your friends, or even a date, with these amazing options:

Cook on high for 3-4 hours until the chicken is fully cooked. Slice or shred.

Optional: Want a thicker sauce? Add the sauce from the slow cooker to a small pot. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile combine 1 tbsp. of cornstarch and 1 tbsp. cold water. Add to the boiling sauce and stir well. Bring to a boil and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.

Want it crispy? Spread the chicken on a baking sheet covered with foil and broil for 3-4 minutes or until crispy.

Top with sesame seeds.

Black Beans (Vegetarian Friendly!)

Ingredients:

2 cupsdry black beans

1onion, quartered

4garlic cloves, peeled

2jalapeno peppers, whole

1bay leaf

1 tsp.salt

Directions:

Add everything to the slow cooker. Cover the beans with water or stock until there is one inch of water over the beans.